The Road Less Travelled – Off Trail Hiking

For people who’ve only ever walked on defined tracks and trails, the concept that there’s a whole other world of exploring and adventuring out there, may come as a shock. It’s the world of off trail hiking.

I know it came as a shock to me when early in my bushwalking club days, I signed up for a day walk that in the description said, “includes 1km rough off-track section”. I honestly didn’t really understand what that meant.

Even though I enjoyed bushwalking, without realising it, I’d built invisible walls each side of tracks or trails that I walked upon. Remember Wonder Woman and her invisible plane? Well these walls were kinda like that!

The shock I had that first day breaking through that invisible wall happened when we stopped at a certain point on what was a perfectly good single-track and the leader (after checking map and compass) declared, “Here we go… into the great unknown!”

We turned to our right and proceeded to walk, push, haul ourselves through thick scrub up a ridge to emerge a kilometre later onto a firetrail.

Knowing how to navigate is essential when moving away from tracks and trails.

I remember feeling like I was being re-born from the birth canal of nature as I tumbled out onto the firetrail.

After getting over my initial WTF expletives and as the wounds began to heal, I realised that in a way I had been re-born and baptised all at the same time. To quote another religious phrase, literally, ‘my chains fell off, my heart was free’ and I could see for the first time that there really were no walls to the ways in which I could experience wilderness and nature.

I had a lot to learn before being able to lead myself and others in this style of adventuring which I do now, but I knew I wanted those skills.

Exploring off-track after bushfires can be easier… just expect to get covered in charcoal!

Yet again, my adventure gland nurtured through a childhood love of The Famous Five and The Lost Islands was sparked and came alive as I realised that my adventures didn’t have to be ones that someone else had had before me, laying down their own path and dictating the ways in which I must tread.

In Australia we use the term bush-bashing (bushwhacking in the US) which I do find quite humorous given that it’s generally us walkers who get bashed more than the bush… which generally bounces back quickly, whereas our wounds take longer to heal.

A good sense of humour and a great group are keys to an enjoyable off-track adventure

This leads to one of the issues that need to be considered when venturing off track and that is environmental issues. I consider off-track walking should be done in line with other Leave No Trace principles. Essentially, make it very hard for someone to see if you’ve been there first. This means:

Keep groups small. (I personally think that even though in NSW NPWS guidelines for wilderness areas are 8, if I’m going off-track, I prefer 4-6.)

Know how to navigate through traditional map and compass methods, route finding and reading the ground in addition to carrying a GPS and a PLB.

Don’t make navigation choices that can’t be reversed. Always have a contingency plan.

Avoid off-track in sensitive areas such as hanging swamp or places where the plants are easily damaged.

Avoid going off-track near popular tourist tracks or areas which could encourage people without the skills to follow you or establish new tracks.

If you don’t have the skills and equipment… don’t do it until you do. Joining a bushwalking club is a great way to learn.

Check maps to ensure you’re not trespassing.

It’s not all about pushing your body endlessly through hakea like scrub in a medieval like flagellation ritual though (although I did get a reputation in my club for some particularly memorable – scar inducing – trips!). When you learn some of the basics like sticking to open ridges and avoiding gullies, you’ll find that walking in this way can sometimes be easier than an overgrown single track or fire trail.

Even though there’s no tracks, sticking to ridges can mean fairly open terrain

The thing I love about venturing off the path more travelled, is entering the unknown and being in a place of discovering something new. Learning about a new place and it’s terrain as my feet touch it and become part of it’s story.

Spending hours beforehand analysing contours on a topographic map, wondering if a ridge or cliff line will actually allow us through (or “go” as we say) without technical gear and then finding yourself at the base of it and through trial and error (sometimes many trials and many errors) actually getting to the top.

This kind of adventuring calls for many life skills such as problem solving, contingency planning, people management, risk assessments and a bloody good sense of humour, all tied up with a massive dose of curiosity, inquisitiveness and sense of wonder.

If you are wanting to take your walking to the next level and try something adventurous, then I thoroughly recommend giving it a go.

Comments

It really is a great way of seeing places that few have. Nothing like looking at a map and thinking the view should be great from that hill or cliff-line or that creek should have a waterfall even though it isn’t shown. Sometimes just wandering through some beautiful young beech forest along a creek can be wonderful. Although getting there along the Kerripit River in Barrington Tops did find some amazing lawyer vine thickets.

Ugh! Yes… lawyer vine. The enemy of the off-track walker and adventurer – not to mention the Stinging Trees up Barrington way. I got ‘done’ by one a few years back and it’s an experience I’d prefer not to re-live… and even that was a dead leaf just falling down from a tree on my arm. It’s a real treat and I feel, somewhat an honour, to be able to see and visit places that so few get to see. I love sharing that feeling with others, which I think you do too!

So true! I didn’t discover the true joy of off-trail walking until I joined my bushwalking club. I had done some walking on barely marked trails (following marks on trees) but going truly off trail is so much more fun. Plus, you feel like you are discovering something that no one else knows about!

Absolutely Lucinda! I couldn’t agree more. And even though we know the chances of people not going there before are pretty slim, it’s nice to have that feeling at least… which is why I’m a big fan of leave no trace… if you can see evidence of a fire-ring, rubbish, poo, etc… it kind of ruins that fantasy 😉

Hey Caro – great post! I usually lose my way on marked footpads so prefer off-track. Then it doesn’t matter so much where you are within 100m or so (unless by that cliff edge!). Give us a yell in the Canberra Bushwalking Club when you come to Canberra. We can show your some nice post-fire regrowth in Namadgi National Park. Cheers. john

Thanks John! I agree, I always joke that I’m no good at navigating where there’s signposts and tracks, I get easily lost that way as you don’t tend to concentrate as much. That would be great to see how Namadgi has restored itself, I hear it’s lovely and have been keen to visit for a while. I’m also quite fascinated by the Tinderry’s which piqued my interest when I drove down to the snow last year… looming off to the east of the highway. Do you guys ever do much stuff there?

We’ve done several walks in the Tinderrys. Main ones to Tinderry Peak and Twin Tinderry. If you pop Tinderry in the Google custom search on my blog at http://www.johnevans.id.au they will come up. Serious about that invite – come walking around Canberra some time. Cheers. john

I haven’t done much off track walking in my life but that which I have done was certainly very freeing. I remember as a kid we would take off into the bush behind our place and have the biggest adventures. I was a huge Famous Five fan also and thought the idea of going on a walking holiday without your parents sounded like heaven! Harry and I were watching a documentary on Kakadu the other day and he asked me why the rangers we were watching were walking through the bush and not on a track. I told him it was because it was remote and they were searching for rock art. He was very concerned about them walking through the long grass and that they might hurt the land! Harry has only ever walked on tracks so I am now going to have to give him an off track experience I think.

Ah, bless Harry! Out of the mouth of babes, eh? Well, you can tell Harry that the Aussie bush is very, very tough and bounces back very quickly if we’re respectful. In fact, I’ve just come back from the Kimberley Ranges and I’ve shot a quick video tip on spinifex (yet to edit), which I can vouch is certainly VERY tough and it is us humans who need to be protected from it mostly 🙂 Oh and super glad to find another Famous Five fan… are you old enough to remember the 1970s BBC TV series?

Hey Caro, I was born in 1979 and they repeated the BBC Famous Five show in the early 80’s. I always wanted to be George and wanted to own a border collie called Timmy 🙂 I still have the full set of books too. I am hoping to read them to Harry in a year or two. I can’t wait to see your stuff from the Kimberly trip. That place is right up there on my bucket list.

I love how different people related to different characters on the show. I guess what makes me the ‘unexpected outdoors chick’, is that I was “very Anne” growing up, so kinda find it funny now that I’m all George! Oh and where I had the crush on Julian, I’d much prefer the funny, bookish one now that was Dick. How we change!

I love your blog! I haven’t found many blogs that have an outdoors/adventure focus, so to discover yours on FB today (the introvert question) was like a breath of fresh air (hee) after the thousands of parenting, crafting, cooking, fashion and makeupping blogs I’ve seen out there. (Power to the girls who write them, seriously, but sometimes I feel like the weird girl sitting by herself in the playground.) I also love that you love The Famous Five – I identified with George, and possibly had a bit of a crush on Julian. Wanted to take Timmy home. It’s funny the small things that we love as kids that help to shape us as adults. Good on you for encouraging others to get out into the big beautiful world, and I think I’ll be one of them 🙂

Yay! I was wondering who that other weird girl sitting by herself in the playground was… now I know!

I agree… all power to the crafty, fashion, home types… but, well, sigh. In fact, I found it kinda hilarious to make this week’s video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo1ZDa1Z7mY on family friendly stuff, when I had to steal/borrow/kidnap other people’s families. Not to say that I’m not an awesome Auntie and God-Mother though, but kids of my own just aren’t part of my adventure.

Couldn’t agree more ! We’ve always been kids of the bush and off trail exploring definitely opens up so many more beautiful experiences, sometimes feeling like you’re the first people in eons to do so. Lovely post, great work and thank-you for the fresh air !

Caro – are you a guide that takes people on off trail hiking tours or anything like that? I’m inexperienced but want to learn more about it and wouldn’t be comfortable doing it myself just yet. Did a little bit in Canada and in Denali but would like to learn more skills and how to do it a bit safer. Any information about guides, tours that you or any others do would be awesome thank you! – Rach

Great to hear from you Rachel. Generally speaking, all of the trips that I lead or are involved with are currently within my bushwalking club, http://www.sbw.org.au. Bushwalking clubs are a great place to learn the types of skills your talking about (it’s where I learnt them!) and to build up the confidence over time, with experienced people. If you’re looking for a club to join, perhaps check out: http://www.bushwalkingnsw.org.au/ to find a club that suits you. All the best with heading off track!